Incident Code

RS1929

Location

اريحا, Ariha, Idlib, Syria

Geolocation

35.8141415, 36.6017972
Accuracy: Town

Airwars Assessment

Last Updated: December 15, 2024

(Previous Incident Code: R1799)

As many as 20 civilians were killed, and dozens more were wounded, in an airstrike on Ariha. Sources were conflicted as to who was to blame. Around half the sources blamed Russian warplanes, while the rest pointed to the Syrian regime. Some sources such as Idlib Media Centre blamed both parties for the raids.

SMO reported that the rockets used were highly explosive, while others said they had sighted vacuum bunker-buster missiles.

The airstrikes reportedly struck residential homes, which led to the collapse of three buildings and huge amounts of material damage. It was reported that an entire family of four were killed when a missile struck and destroyed their home.

Additionally, dozens of other civilians were trapped and wounded. According to RFS, a child was stuck under the rubble for hours after the raid. Similarly, other sources reported there were many missing civilians and the White Helmets worked tirelessly to dig people out of the rubble.

Many of the wounded were allegedly unidentifiable due to “charring” of the bodies.

Victims

Family members (2)

Child male brothers killed
Child male brothers killed

Key Information

Country
Military Actor
Civilian Harm Reported
Yes
Civilian Harm Status
Contested
Competing claims of responsibility e.g. multiple belligerents, or casualties also attributed to ground forces.
Civilians reported killed
7–20
2–8 Children, 2–4 Women, 1–3 Men
Civilians reported injured
12–30

Geolocation Notes

Reports of the incident mention the town of Ariha (اريحا), for which the generic coordinates are: 35.8141415,36.6017972. Due to limited satellite imagery and information available to Airwars, we were unable to verify the location further.  

Military Statements

Russian Military Assessment
Suspected belligerent
Russian Military
Russian Military position on incident
Not yet assessed
Russian Military Strike Report
Russia has not reported any strikes between February 1st – 31st 2017.
Syrian Regime Assessment
Suspected belligerent
Syrian Regime
Syrian Regime position on incident
Not yet assessed

Media From Sources (31)